The Dragon Queen // (Under Revision)

Cherry Cola

"Good morning, all," Fukuo greeted the stumbling parade of people as everyone came in the main dining hall for breakfast the next morning. The ensemble included Tsuyoi, the outsiders—Kakashi, Sai, Sakura, and Naruto—and even Fukuo's sister and fellow patron, Tomoe.

"Good morning," Sakura yawned. Sai and Kakashi echoed the greeting.

Tsuyoi staggered behind everyone else. Her mounds and mounds of hair hung in her face. She moaned and pushed it out of her eyes for the fortieth time since she left her room. Her morning hair was an absolute beast, and this morning was no exception. If she tried to scratch her scalp now, her hand would probably get lost. She looked like she'd been living in the forest outside for ten years instead of the monastery.

Tsuyoi hadn't slept well the night before. She usually didn't, but what with the excitement of the arrival of the outsiders, it had made it worse. She actually wasn't sure if she'd slept at all, but she couldn't remember if she had or not. In her mind, she went from being with Naruto on the roof to climbing out of the bed with sunlight shining through the window. Point A to Point B. No journey from one to the other. She sighed. She was too sleepy for this. Her problems could wait until she was awake.

"Where's the food?" Naruto mumbled from somewhere in front of her. Tsuyoi's legs wobbled and she listed to one side, her body feeling as though she was made of air and lead all at once, and her shoulder bumped into someone else's. She stumbled again, leaning into the other person, her muddled brain still swimming with the lack of sleep. She cracked her eyes open just as her shoulder drove Naruto's face into the wall. Hard. Her brain jumped awake at the loud crack his nose made against it.

"Owwwwwww!" He moaned.  "Who did that, damn it!" Naruto shouted, reeling away from the wall with his hands clutching his nose. He turned on Sai next to him, eyes blazing.

"It wasn't me," Sai said simply.

Tsuyoi blinked. "I-It was me! I'm sorry!"

"You're awake now, at least," Sai offered.

"See? You don't even feel sorry for breaking my nose, you jerk!" Naruto griped, a tear dotted the corner of his eye. A thin trail of blood leaked from his fingers. Tsuyoi gasped.

Sai squinted at Naruto's face for a moment. "It's not broken."

"How would you know, Ghost Face? It's bleeding and it hurts!" Naruto shot back.

Sai turned to Tsuyoi. "Tsuyoi. Is his nose broken?"

"What's the hold up?" Kakashi called from inside the dining hall.

"Sai broke my nose!" Naruto shouted back.

But he didn't. I did. And I know he heard me the first time. What is he doing?

"Sai just said he didn't! Tsuyoi said it was her!" Sakura declared, joining the fray.

"His nose isn't broken," Sai insisted. "Tsuyoi said so."

"I didn't say anything yet!" Tsuyoi yelped, holding up her hands as if to defend herself.

"Well, is it?"

"Will you stop pestering her? Just cause you idiots play around to much—" Sakura said, annoyed.

"We weren't playing!" Naruto interrupted.

At that point Tsuyoi officially transitioned from anxiousness to annoyance. She lowered her head and let her hair fall over her face.

"Idiot! What else could you have been doing?" Sakura barked at him.

"It's no one's fault that you weren't paying attention," Sai chided.

"Oh yeah? Well, you shouldn't be walking around breaking people's noses and not feeling sorry for it!" Naruto shouted back at him.